


Dennis Starts Feeling Again

by orphan_account



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Angst, Eating Disorders, Mental Health Issues, but only like mentions, i just don't want to unduly trigger anyone, it's not like that big of a deal in this one, love y'all enjoy this, posted on tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 09:00:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20543534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Set somewhere post The Gang Does A Clip Show. Dennis and Mac are fighting again, and Mac has had enough. Dennis reflects and does something he doesn't do that often.





	Dennis Starts Feeling Again

**Author's Note:**

> posted as a prompt on my tumblr @alwayssunnyinbitchadelphia! Please leave kudos or comment if you liked! No concrit, please!

It hurt more than he thought it would. Mac’s voice was raised, and Dennis stood opposite of him, poised to defend himself even though he didn’t need to. Mac’s hands were clenched into fists, his brows (always so expressive) furrowed in anger and frustration. And what, you may ask, caused Ronald such grief? The answer is simple; it is the single source of stress in Mac’s life—Dennis Reynolds.

"Well if you  **hate** me so much, maybe I should move out!"

And hadn’t Dennis wanted that? Hadn’t he craved it for so long? He had called Mac ugly, fat, stupid. He’d been cruel to him more times than he could count. He’d been a bad friend to Mac; he’d been an even worse  _ best _ friend to mac. And now, now he was threatening to move out.

**SURE.** Dennis wanted that. He wanted it more than anything. Mac was the worst roommate ever. But he was also the best. Despite Dennis’ insistence that he never eat, Mac would leave snacks around the house. He would lure Dennis in with the promise of a fun time—movies or games, and he would share food with Dennis just to get him to eat. Dennis hated it, but he couldn’t deny that Mac had prevented him from passing out time and time again. He didn’t need anymore head trauma.

Mac made the best coffee in the world. Dennis wasn’t sure what the fuck he did with it, but it was positively the best. It made him chipper in the mornings and got him through slow evenings at Paddy’s.

Mac always smiled when Dennis needed it; he seemed to have that sort of sixth sense sort of thing where he  _ knew _ Dennis was feeling bummed out. Not that Dennis  _ liked _ his smiles. It just  **reminded** him to put on a happy face. If Mac misinterpreted that...well. That was on him.

Mac always listened. Most of the time. As oxymoronic as that sounds, Mac always let Dennis vent about Dee or Frank (there never was a need to vent about Charlie because Charlie was Charlie, and Dennis never felt right getting angry at him considering their shared...well considering Charlie’s traumatic childhood. Dennis never had anything of the sort.). He listened, provided  _ keen _ insight (“Dee looks like a bird though, bro. Who cares what she thinks? Bitch.”).

Mac did a lot of things that pissed him off. But he did a lot more that made him less pissed off. Which is why Dennis  _ doesn’t  _ want him to go and doesn’t want him to move out. It’s the opposite of what he wants because they  _ are _ codependent (though Dennis will never  **ever** admit it).

“You can’t move out, Mac, come on. You think anyone in their right mind would let you lease? With  _ your _ credit score?”

Mac scoffed, indignant and pissed, and Dennis couldn’t fault him for that. Dennis’ credit was just as shot, and Frank mostly paid for their apartment with all his dirty money. Rotten bastard. But he made the blow anyway. Anything to hurt Mac. To make him angry. To make him angry so that Dennis could feel something too. Something other than  _ nothing _ . Because Dennis can’t take feeling nothing for too long. If he does that again, he might go farther than North Dakota and be unable to come back.

“Whatever, Dennis. I’m sleeping at the bar tonight. I can’t be in the same goddamn room as you right now.” 

Dennis watched as he moved to slip inside his room and grab his  _ stupid _ Gym & Tonic shirt before just  _ leaving _ . What an animal. Dennis stood and watched him, waiting for him to come back. Waiting...waiting… But he never did. Not for a solid 10 minutes. Dennis finally moved—finally felt comfortable moving—and went to the kitchen. 

The crash of a plate soothed his rage. So, he smashed another one. After that, he started to clean. He cleaned the kitchen, cleaned the living room, and cleaned his bedroom. He didn’t touch Mac’s room. Mac’s room was off limits for the night.

Forever if Mac never came back. New roommates were out of the question. They were more gross and disgusting than Mac was, and that was unacceptable. He’d tried that shit with Jan, and that just ended  _ weird _ . 

Dennis went into his room and laid down. It was only 9:27 p.m., so Dennis didn’t feel  _ ok _ going to bed at an hour like this. Thus, he read a book. He hadn’t read a book in a while, and it felt nice to kind of...sit down. Disconnect from the world. He just grabbed a book from the shelf and started to read. It was one of the rare books that belonged to Mac. Of course.

Dennis took it back to his room, flopping down in bed and cracking it open. It was a dumb book, surprisingly. One of those Harlequin romance novels but far gayer. There was a hunky man on the front cover, shredded and good looking. Or at least, Mac probably thought so. Dennis didn’t care. Not one bit. Dennis doesn’t care about a man’s physique. Sure, he could appreciate it, but it was just that. An appreciation. Nothing more; nothing less.

He started to read, and it wasn’t so bad once he got into it. He read for a few hours, satisfied once he’d gotten a third of the way through the book. Dennis dog-eared the page before sitting it on his nightstand.

He checked his phone. One message from Dee. Something about taking next Saturday off. Boring; Dennis doesn’t care. Another from Charlie. A picture of a horse with a heart emoji. Cryptic. Nothing from Frank. Nothing from Mac. And that was it for the people in his world. He huffed and scrolled through the news before giving up and opening the text history with Mac. The last message was from Mac. 

_ do we need n e more oreos _

A stupid question, really. Dennis wouldn’t eat them. Too high in carbs and too much sugar. And the calories. Too much. Too too much. Dennis tapped absently on the side of his phone before typing.

_ Sorry I’m a dick sometimes. _

Dennis rested there on top of his covers and waited for Mac to reply. If Mac even wanted to reply.  _ Read at 11:47 pm _ . Then, the bubbles popped up. Mac was typing. Dennis sat up in anticipation and waited. Waited. Then, the bubbles stopped. Then started back up again. Then stopped again. What the  **FUCK** was he saying?

_ i forgive u dennis <3 ill always forgive u bro _

Dennis smiles at the text before responding posthaste. He types a few different things, deleting them moments later. He finally settles on a text he’s not too upset with. A request.

_ Are you going to come back home? Or are you still sleeping at the bar? _

His response is quick, rapidly typed out and sent to Dennis before he even has time to lock his phone.

_ lol bro i lost the key 2 the bar i’m already walking back up see u in a min _

With that, Dennis smiled and stood up, going to unlock the door for Mac since he’d probably lost his apartment key too. He always did, but...ah. Dennis couldn’t be too mad. Not right now.


End file.
